Charity Navigator Announces Appointment of New Board Leadership and Releases 2026 Strategic Plan

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Jun 28, 2021, 10:00 ET

SADDLE BROOK, N.J., June 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Charity Navigator, the world's largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator, announced today that former IBM Executive and women-in-tech trailblazer Marie Wieck has been appointed as Chair of the organization's Board of Directors. Effective June 16, Wieck succeeds Matt Giegerich, who served as Chair for the past five years. This announcement comes in concert with additional changes in staff and board leadership as well as a new five-year strategic plan, on the heels of MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett's $2.7 billion philanthropic investment with Charity Navigator as one of 286 nonprofits supported.

"It's a great honor to serve as Chair," said Wieck. "In my ten years on the Board, I've seen Charity Navigator grow from rating 6,000 nonprofits to more than 160,000, while increasing the depth of its methodology to evaluate an organization's impact and health. As part of our new strategic plan, we aim to guide $1 trillion of informed giving over the next ten years. I'm incredibly excited to work closely with the team to deliver on our important mission, while continuing to do my part in championing diversity in technology and the nonprofit sector."

Joining Ms. Wieck in leadership roles on the Board, Michael Cooney, Partner at Nixon Peabody, LLP, has been appointed Vice Chair; Cheryl Black, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, remains the Board's Treasurer; and Hope Lyons, Principal at Operationalizing Mission, LLC, has been appointed Secretary. In addition to the changes in leadership, Esther Dyson, Executive Founder of Wellville, a 10-year nonprofit project focused on equity and health, has joined the Board. Esther is a longtime tech investor, the Founding Chair of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Chair of the Comp Committee at The Commons Project.

"MacKenzie and Dan's support comes at the perfect time; we are extremely grateful, and energized by the possibilities it creates. We are growing who we rate, how we rate, and who we serve, so having our board and staff equally grow in their perspectives, lived experiences, and diversity is critical to our success," said Charity Navigator President & CEO Michael Thatcher. "Along with the changes at a board level, I am delighted to welcome Bilal Taylor to our leadership team today, as our first-ever Vice President of Culture & Community. Bilal will develop the methodologies that will evaluate organizational culture, reputation, and equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of our Encompass Rating System."

To view Charity Navigator's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan, visit charitynavigator.org/strategicplan.

ABOUT CHARITY NAVIGATOR

Charity Navigator, the world's largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, empowers donors of all sizes with free access to data, tools, and resources to guide philanthropic decision making. Through Charity Navigator's ratings, nonprofits are equipped with the nonprofit sector's premier trust indicator and a powerful platform to raise awareness and funds. Charity Navigator does not charge the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501(c)(3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations, and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers.

SOURCE Charity Navigator